10.07.2012 For immediate release: Local MP Greg Barker discussed the progress of road safety measures for Hurst Green and the A21 south of Flimwell when he met the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr Graham Dalton, and Mr Martin Wright, the Highways Agency Route Performance Manager for the East Sussex, at Westminster yesterday.
Greg has been supporting Hurst Green’s Local Action Group on road safety since it was established by the Parish Council last summer to campaign for safety improvements to the A21 as it passes through the village.
The Local Action Group has proposed a number of projects to the Highways Agency with the aim of slowing down traffic and improving the two main junctions with the A265 and the A229. Top of the list of priorities for the Action Group and Greg is the repair of the variable speed limit outside Hurst Green School which have been out of action for months.
Mr Dalton assured Greg that although temporary 30mph speed signs have been erected on the road outside the school, the variable 20mph speed signs will be replaced by the time school re-opens in September. He also confirmed that a 50mph buffer zone has been agreed for the stretch of road between Coopers Corner and just north of Ticehurst Lane, however, funding for this is not likely to be available until the next financial year.
Mr Dalton explained to Greg that the other requests from the Action Group which include a roundabout at Coopers Corner, a new pedestrian crossing and traffic controls at the junction with the A265 will need to be carefully assessed before any funding could be committed to these.
Speaking at Westminster, Greg said “I continue to be concerned by the speed of some drivers through Hurst Green village. It is an absolute priority that the 20mph variable speed limit signs outside the primary school are replaced before September as they have been out of action for far too long.”
“I appreciate that the Highways Agency has to operate on a tight budget in these challenging economic times and not all the Action Group’s proposed schemes can be implemented in the immediate future. However, I will continue to fully support to plans for improvements to the A21both here in Hurst Green and also on the more northerly sections of the A21 where there are regular bottlenecks as this will increase road safety and benefit the local economy.”